Diffusion tensor imaging in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimerʼs disease: a review

Chua, Terence C.; Wang, Wen; Slavin, Melissa J.; Sachdev, Perminder S.

doi:10.1097/wco.0b013e3282f4594b

Cited by 247 publications

(196 citation statements)

References 79 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

165

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This finding is relevant, because an increase of MD indicates a loss of anisotropy related to abnormalities in the integrity of the tissue microstructure of the brain white matter [33,34]. Furthermore, smaller areas of the left SLF I and III branches, the right SLF III branch, the left cingulum and the left ILF were also involved in this phenomenon.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

White Matter Microstructure and Apathy Level in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Cacciari

Moraschi

Paola

et al. 2010

JAD

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. In this study, we assessed white matter microstructural deficit correlates of apathy level in 20 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment by means of diffusion tensor imaging. Mean diffusivity correlated positively with apathy level in the right temporal portion of the uncinate, middle longitudinal and inferior longitudinal fasciculi and in the parathalamic white matter, the fornix and the posterior cingulum of the right hemisphere. Fractional anisotropy results confirmed evidence of disconnection associated with apathy in all white matter areas except the middle longitudinal fasciculus. These results support the view that alterations in the neural mechanisms underlying apathy level occur in the early phase of degenerative dementias.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

White Matter Microstructure and Apathy Level in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Cacciari

Moraschi

Paola

et al. 2010

JAD

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…White matter brain structure underlies cognitive abilities (Olesen et al, 2003), as well as several neurological and psychiatric disorders and normal aging (Moseley, 2002;Kanaan et al, 2005;Chua et al, 2008). Thus, the idea that a brain structure can be changed through short-term cognitive training may provide the basis for new insights into neural plasticity, and may have clinical applications (Klingberg et al, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, the structural integrity of white matter in frontoparietal white matter regions is correlated with WMC (Klingberg, 2006). Additionally, several neurological and psychiatric disorders are associated with impaired WMC as well as normal aging characterized by impaired WMC and impaired structural integrity of frontoparietal white matter regions (Moseley, 2002;Kanaan et al, 2005;Chua et al, 2008). So, can WMC and the integrity of white matter structures associated with WMC be increased by any means?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Training of Working Memory Impacts Structural Connectivity

Takeuchi

Sekiguchi

Taki³

et al. 2010

J. Neurosci.

460

353

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Working memory is the limited capacity storage system involved in the maintenance and manipulation of information over short periods of time. Individual capacity of working memory is associated with the integrity of white matter in the frontoparietal regions. It is unknown to what extent the integrity of white matter underlying the working memory system is plastic. Using voxel-based analysis (VBA) of fractional anisotropy (FA) measures of fiber tracts, we investigated the effect of working memory training on structural connectivity in an interventional study. The amount of working memory training correlated with increased FA in the white matter regions adjacent to the intraparietal sulcus and the anterior part of the body of the corpus callosum after training. These results showed training-induced plasticity in regions that are thought to be critical in working memory. As changes in myelination lead to FA changes in diffusion tensor imaging, a possible mechanism for the observed FA change is increased myelination after training. Observed structural changes may underlie previously reported improvement of working memory capacity, improvement of other cognitive functions, and altered functional activity following working memory training.

show abstract

“…Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is used to investigate the microstructural features of white matter (12), and has recently been applied to the study of aging and dementia (13). DTI is based on the principle that water will diffuse more readily along the principal axis of an axon than perpendicular to it.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultrahigh-resolution microstructural diffusion tensor imaging reveals perforant path degradation in aged humans in vivo

Yassa

Muftuler²,

Stark³

2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

212

208

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The perforant path (PP) undergoes synaptic changes in the course of aging and dementia. Previous studies attempting to assess the integrity of the PP in humans using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were limited by low resolution and the inability to identify PP fibers specifically. Here we present an application of DTI at ultrahigh submillimeter resolution that has allowed us to successfully identify diffusion signals unique to the PP and compare the intensity of these signals in a sample of young adults and older adults. We report direct evidence of age-related PP degradation in humans in vivo. We find no evidence of such loss in a control pathway, the alveus, suggesting that these findings are not evidence for a global decline. We also find no evidence for specific entorhinal gray matter atrophy. The extent of PP degradation correlated with performance on a word-list learning task sensitive to hippocampal deficits. We also show evidence for gray matter diffusion signals consistent with pyramidal dendrite orientation in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Ultrahigh-resolution microstructural DTI is a unique biomarker that can be used in combination with traditional structural and functional neuroimaging methods to enhance detection of Alzheimer disease in its earliest stages, test the effectiveness of new therapies, and monitor disease progression.T here is converging evidence that one of the earliest locations in the brain to undergo age-related change is the medial temporal lobe (MTL) region (1, 2), which plays an important role in learning new facts and remembering events (3, 4). Selective structural and functional changes in the MTL are evident with aging and specifically target white matter connectivity and cellular function (1). One MTL pathway that is particularly vulnerable to age-related changes is the perforant path (PP) (5-7). This pathway perforates the subiculum carrying input from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampal formation ( Fig. 1 A and B). The integrity of this pathway is essential for normal hippocampal function (8). Studies in rodents have shown that the PP input to the hippocampus is reduced by approximately one third in aged rats compared with young rats (9, 10) and that stimulation of the PP in aged rats results in less excitation than in young rats (1). Histological studies have observed reduced myelin staining in the PP in Alzheimer disease (AD) (8), and more recently, synaptic loss in this region in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (11). Thus, numerous studies have suggested that the PP undergoes changes with aging and in the course of dementia. However, observing evidence of this degradation in humans in vivo, a key requirement of any viable biomarker, has remained elusive.Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is used to investigate the microstructural features of white matter (12), and has recently been applied to the study of aging and dementia (13). DTI is based on the principle that water will diffuse more readily along the principal axis of an axon than perpendicular to ...

show abstract

Diffusion tensor imaging in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimerʼs disease: a review

Cited by 247 publications

References 79 publications

White Matter Microstructure and Apathy Level in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

White Matter Microstructure and Apathy Level in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

Training of Working Memory Impacts Structural Connectivity

Ultrahigh-resolution microstructural diffusion tensor imaging reveals perforant path degradation in aged humans in vivo

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About